Acetylene-gas generator.



Patented Nov. 7, I899. J. A. WETMORE.

AGETYLENE GAS GENERATOR,

(Application flied Apr. 6, 1899.)

(No Modal.)

Witnesses:

' U y Inf/anion WM M YLM- NN 7w;

Rms PETERS co, PNUTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, n4

UNITED STATES Enron.

PATENT ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,370, dated November 7, 1899.

Application filed April 6, 1899. Serial No. 711,919. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEAN A. WETMORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at the borough of Brooklyn, in the city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented anew and useful Acetylens-Gas Generator, of which the following is a specification.

The improvements of my present invention refer to a feeding device for the carbid into the generator, to removing impurities and precipitates from the generator, and to drying and purifying the gas produced.

I attain the objects of my first improvement by a peculiarly-constructed chute in connection with a double-valve system at one end of the chute and a platform for supporting the carbid at the other end of the tube. The removal of the impurities and precipitations in the generator due to the decomposition of carbid and water into acetylene and calcium oxid is accomplished by the location and construction of the water-inlet and water-exit and the stop-cocks closing the same. The purifying of the gas results by means of a system of screens, through which and through ever-chan gin g portions of solid carbid the gas produced has to pass before it reaches its efllux-valve.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the present application, Figure 1 is a Vertical cross-section of the apparatus'in its preferred form. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section in the line 00 a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail of the feeding device, and Fig. 4 is a detailed drawing of the carbid-receptacle.

Referring to Fig. 1, A is a generating tank or chamber made of any suitable material for instance, sheet-iron, zinc, copper, &c. The lower end of chamber A is funnel-shaped or tapered, as at B, and the walls of this funnel show spiral corrugations 0. At the uppermost of these corrugations there is a water-inlet D, placed tangentially in relation to the walls of the vessel. At the lower end of B there is a Water-exit E, and both the inlet and exit are provided with stop-cocks F and F, which are connected by means of a system of cranks and connecting-rods, whereby the same may be opened or closed simultaneously. The upper end of Ais provided with a gas-chamber G, which leads to an effluX-pipe H, having a stop-cock J. Chamber A is connected with carbid-receptacle L by means of a chute K.

The vertical portion of tube K is constructed 5 5 of a system of screens M M, through which the gas produced must pass before it reaches its efflux-pipe H.

' Underneath the lower opening of chute K and at a distance from it there is placed a platform consisting of two parts N N, which are hinged upon a common shaft 0, resting in bearings]? P, connected to, the walls of chamber A. The sections N'N of the carbidsupport may be provided with projections 71 or corrugations or other suitable means for retarding the sliding off of the carbid from the support. The shaft 0 is connected by means of rods or toggle-links Q to a float R, which rests upon and is controlled by the surface of the water within the'generator A.

In a separate compartment S of chamber A and connected with the same by means of a port T there is a smaller 'float U, which controls the vertical rod X, sliding in the bracket Y. The upper end of rod X is wedgeshaped, as at Z.

In a convenient position at the upper part of chamber A there is a system of brackets a a, which carry in appropriate bearings two rollers 19 and c. The shaft of roller 19 is provided with a ratchet-wheel d, the teeth of which are engaged by a ratchet e. The ratchet-bar is provided with a hammer-like device f, which knocks against a thin portion of the wall of chamber A, and consequently against bearing P. The movement of hammer f is limited by the position of wedge Z. Motion is imparted to roller 1) by means of a rope g anda weight h. I do not limit myself to the use of a Weight and pulley; but any other means or substitutes may be used for the same purpose.

The carbid-receptacle L is provided with a throttle-valve 1 having a gear-wheel 70 at the end of its axle. This gear-wheel 70 may be engaged by the upper face of a crown-wheel or face-gearings Z, whereas the lower face of this crown-wheel Z engages a gear-wheel 7c of a second throttle-valve 2'. By turning crownwheel Z the same engages a single screw-thread m, whereby it becomes lifted and engages gear-wheel It without becoming disengaged from gear-wheel 7c.

The working of my new gas-generating apparatus takes place as follows: Chamber A is filled with water, and calcium carbid descends by gravity from receptacle L into chute K and upon platform N N. The carbid dropping into the water will combine with the same and produce acetylene and calcium .oxid. The calcium oxid will remain as a precipitate in the water, the gas produced will fill the empty space above the water and will pass through screens M M, thereby passing a portion of the solid carbid, and consequently giving off its moisture to the carbid, and the gas will reach chamber G, the efflux-pipe H, and the stop-cock J, from which it may be led to and connected with the pipe system of a building. As soon as gas is produced in chamberA the surface of the water of course will descend and the float R will act upon the platform N N in such away as to form an upwardly-opening acute angle between the two halves of the platform. Dropping of carbid into the water will stop until some of the gas produced is again consumed and the water replaced by water from the communicating chamber S. As soon as this takes place, the float R will rise, the platform N N will become horizontal or even form an obtuse angle, and carbid will again drop into the water.

Although the operation of the carbid-support N N, controlled by float R, may be entirely sufficient to provide for an automatic feeding of the carbid into the generatingchamber A, I have provided additional means for still further facilitating said feeding process. If gas is produced, water from A will pass through port T into compartment S and float U will rise. It gas is consumed, water from S will pass into A and float U will sink. In this case wedge Z will release hammer f, weight it will impart rotary motion to roller d, and consequently oscillatory motion to hammer f, and hammerf will knock against bearing P of axle O, which bearing is fastened to a thin partition of the wall of chamber A. Hammer f therefore will slightly shake the carbid-support, and the carbid will much easier drop off of the same into the water. The force of the stroke of ham mer f will depend upon the position of wedge Z and the float U, supporting the same, The higher the float U is in compartment S the smaller will be the stroke of hammer f, and vice versa.

The cleaning of the lower part of A is accomplished by the peculiar location of waterinlet D in relation to the walls of B. The entering water will form a vortex motion or miniature whirlpool, whereby all sediment and impurities will be carried off toward the water-exit E. As the two stop-cocks F F can be opened simultaneously, all such impurities may be carried off into the waste-pipe.

The filling of the tank with water may be accomplished by disconnecting F from F and keeping F open and F closed until the water in the tank reaches its required height.

The carbid as bought in tin cans is put into receptacle L, the throttle-valvei is closed, and L is screwed onto the top of the upper end of chute K. Crown-wheel Z is then turned, whereby the same engages into screw-thread m, and opens throttle-valve t" by means of gear-wheel it, simultaneously engaging gearwheel 7c of throttle-valve t', and consequently opening the latter. Garbid may drop down into the chute; but no gas can escape on account of the gas-tight interlocking of receptacle L with the main machine.

It will be noticed that the apparatus is entirely automatic and does not possess a gasometer,whereby the storage of the gas is done away with and gas is produced only to the same extent as consumed.

The apparatus requires no special care, as there are hardly any parts to get out of order, and the use of the solid carbid as an absorbent of moisture of the gas and a purifying medium of the same, which is renewed continuously, is an especially advantageous feature of the machine.

I do not confine myself to the special design as shown and described in this my application, as the same may be changed without departing from the scope of my invention.

YVhat I do claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a gas-generator, a support for the gasproducing carbid, consisting in combination of two flat surfaces hinged upon a shaft, said shaft being suitably operated upon by a float, so that said support may form an acute or an obtuse angle, and the carbid be kept there or slide off into the water, according to the height of the water in the tank, for the purpose as described.

2. In a gas-generator, a support for the gasproducing carbid, consisting in combination of several flat surfaces hinged upon a shaft, and having means for retarding the sliding off of the carbid, said shaft being operated upon by a float, so that said support may form an acute or an obtuse angle, and the carbid be kept there or slide ofi into the water, according to the height of the water in the tank, for the purpose as described.

3. In a gas-generator, the combination with a generating-chamber containing water, of a chute connecting said chamber with a carbidreceptacle, a carbid-receptacle, a platform consisting of a plurality of hinged sections opposite the lower opening of said chute, and being positively and directly acted upon by a 'fioat, so that said sections may form an acute I means for rotatingthe same substantially as described and for the purpose as set forth.

5. In a gas-generator, the combination with a carbid-receptacle, of a generating-tank, a chute connecting the two,a plurality of hinged plates below said chute, toggle-links connecting the axle of said plates with a float, a ratchet, a ratchet-wheel, means for rotating the same, a second float having a vertical rod, the head of which being wedge-shaped and regulating the movement of the bar end of the ratchet and consequently the force with which the bar end knocks against a thin portion of the tank-wall, for the purposes as set forth.

6. In a gas-generator, the combination with a carbid-receptacle, of a generating-tank below said receptacle, a chute connecting said carbid-receptacle with the generating-tank, two opposite walls of said chute being perforated for the passage of the gas through said perforated portions and portions of the carbidinto the gas-passage, and fin allyto the gaseftlux valve, substantially as described.

7. In a gas-generator, the combination with a tapered generating-tank, the walls of which are spirally corrugated, of a water-inlet located tangentially in relation to the uppermost winding of the corrugations, and of a water-exit located centrally at the lowest point of the tank, whereby the entering water will produce avortex motion within the chamber, and thereby clean the walls of adhering impurities such as calcium oxid, for the purpose as set forth.

8. In a gas-generator, the combination with a carbid-receptacle and a generatin g-chamber, of an air-tight valve consisting of a plurality of throttle-valves, of one or more collars having face-gearings, and means for interlocking successively said face-gearings with gearwheels located upon the shafts of said throttle-valves, whereby the same may be operated upon simultaneously, for the purposes set forth.

9. In a gas-generator, a water-inlet and a water-exit,both provided with stop-cocks,and means for opening and closing the stop-cocks simultaneously,whereby the water may enter into and be removed from the tank at the same time, and consequently will clean the same of all precipitated impurities, as set forth.

10. In a gas-generator, a tapered generating-tank, the walls of which are spirally corrugated, a water inlet tangentially to the walls, a water-exit, each provided with a stopcock, and means for opening said stop-cocks simultaneously,whereby the water will enter into the tank, by its vortex motion remove all the impurities from the tank, and simultaneously run out through the water-exit, substantially as described.

11. In a gas-generator, a carbid-receptacle, a chute connecting the same with a generating-tank, a support for the carbid below said chute and being acted upon by a float, a ratchet, a ratchet-wheel, means for rotating said ratchet-wheel, a second float having a vertical rod, the head of said rod being wedgeshaped for regulating the force of the stroke of the barend of the ratchet against a thin portion of the tank-wall and consequently against the axle of the carbid-support, a water-inlet located tangentially in relation to the tapered wall of the generating-tank, a watenexit, both the water-inlet and the waterexit being provided with stop -cooks, and means for opening said stop-cocks simultaneously, whereby the water will enter into the tank and run out from the tank at the same time, substantially as described and for the purpose as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of subscribing witnesses, this 1st day of April, A. D. 1899. 

